O, Fortuna

Chapter 8

"Are you sitting comfortably?" Grace asked, resting on her hotel bed, looking up at the ceiling. Charlotte, on speaker phone, could be heard to settle into her recliner before responding

"I am." Grace then heard something more, something familiar, the tinkling of ice in a glass. She glared at her mobile phone, as if it were her best friend beside her.

"And are you sober?"

"Mostly" chimed Charlotte in response, taking a rather noisy sip. Tutting, Grace shook her head but elected to press on with her news and throughout it, Charlotte gasped and swore, interrupting only for the odd bit of clarification. Grace drew her explanation to a close with

"So you see, this is why I wanted you clear-headed, Sister C. I'm not exactly up shit creek, not in the strictest sense, but I am in a bit of bloody pickle and could use some support."

Able to hear Charlotte topping up her glass, Grace sighed, now wishing she you had waited to get back to Fremantle before dropping the news on her friend, if for no other reason just then but to be able to see her face, alive as it was bound to be with its remarkable expressiveness.

"Well, it's all a bit obscene, I think" Charlotte eventually said, hiccupping "I mean to say, your aunt dropping it all on you like tha--" another hiccup " that or should that be in it?"

"O, very droll" Grace said with a sigh "but, yes, it would have been nice to have some idea what was going to come, I would have tried to talk her out of it, made her put it in the hands of someone more sensible...or deserving." Charlotte made a thoughtful sound before asking

"Who amongst your family is any more or less deserving than you?"

"I wasn't thinking of them" Grace admitted "was thinking more along the lines of the household staff, the family that's been looking after the property for a century." Grace rubbed her eyes, finding herself annoyed again with June for putting her in the situation in the first place. Whatever the significant advantages in having enormous amounts of money and a nice place to live, there were so many responsibilities and pitfalls inclusive with this particular fortune. And brusque though he confessed to being, Liam had made some very apt points. She had begun to see John Campbell's less venerable qualities for herself and it could come as no surprise that such a beautiful situation, with that spectacular view, Faridah and the property would be sought after by others.

"Grace, you're thinking far too loudly" Charlotte said down the phone line, breaking into Grace's thoughts "this is why you should be drinking, so you don't wind yourself up too much about it all." With a snigger, Grace turned onto her side, asking

"Are you busy this weekend? Do you fancy flying over, seeing the house?"

"I would be there in a heartbeat, sweets, but it's Amy's wedding this weekend. I admit I only really came home coz I was running out of money but if I bugger off now, miss the social event of the year, the cow will never let me hear the end of it." Grace, fully aware of how much Charlotte despised her cousin, was pensive a moment but then offered brightly

"You could pretend you didn't quite make it back from Cuba in time, hide in Queensland till next week."

"Your cunning does you credit, mi amigo, but I saw her this afternoon in the supermarket, had to have a conversation with her too, about wedding bonbonniere, for chrissake! I mean to say..I stood in the Temple of the Sun at Machu Picchu three weeks ago and all she could talk about was bloody party favours!" Grace sniggered and her friend sighed heavily after another slug from her tinkling vodka "Plus, Mum picked me up from the airport so, sadly, no-can-do on the escape act."

"Bugger" Grace responded "and back to work again on Monday? Or another week or two?"

"Are you kidding? Back in the shop Sunday morning! Sure to be fun with the hangover I'll have, certainly don't intend on trying to get through that reception sober."